


An Unfortunate Occurrence

by silent_bard



Category: Star Wars: Thrawn Series - Timothy Zahn (2017)
Genre: Alone in Space, Angst with a sad ending, Character Death, M/M, Medicine as poison, Mission Gone Wrong, Sabotage AU, Sad Ending, seriously this gets sad
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-18
Updated: 2020-04-19
Packaged: 2021-03-01 02:42:12
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 2
Words: 6,414
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23387554
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/silent_bard/pseuds/silent_bard
Summary: On their way to an undisclosed location, Thrawn and Eli's ship gets sabotaged. They will have to find a way to survive long enough to get to safe harbor.
Relationships: Thrawn | Mitth'raw'nuruodo/Eli Vanto
Comments: 24
Kudos: 42





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I'm not 100% on this story, but it's been rewritten too many times now. It was post or die in editing hell, and I needed to get this thing out of my head so I can work on other stuff.

Thrawn saw Commanders Faro and Vanto with their heads together looking over a data pad when he arrived in the hangar bay. He smiled minutely at their faces, equal parts realization and bewilderment as they most likely discussed his newest orders. There was still time enough to hone their skills.

“Sir,” Eli nodded as Thrawn drew near. “The shuttle’s prepped and ready.”

“Excellent, Commander Vanto.”

He turned his glowing eyes on Faro who would be taking charge of the upcoming battle on a small planet near Hutt space. Skirmish may be a better term as the battle would not be long or overly taxing. It was a small rebel cell, and Thrawn had already designed a suitable strategy to deal with them. Had Nightswan been involved he would have led the battle himself, but he was certain the man was not. And there were more important matters to attend to at the moment. “You understand your orders, Commander?”

“Yes, sir,” Faro replied, straightening slightly. “I have already brought the _Chimaera_ to full battle readiness. We will jump to hyperspace as soon as your shuttle is clear.”

“Well done, Commander. We will be in contact when our mission is complete. I expect it will take no longer than three days. Maintain comm silence until you have heard from us.”

“Understood, sir.” She hesitated a moment. “May I ask what your mission is, sir?” 

“You may not, Commander,” Thrawn said sternly, making it clear the matter was not up for discussion. Faro leaned away slightly, shoulders becoming stiff and eyes hard as they focused on a point just over Thrawn’s shoulder. The Commander was not used to being admonished for asking questions. Indeed, Thrawn generally encouraged it as it was an excellent teaching opportunity, but this was out of her purview. And would remain so for a while at least. “I will explain upon our return should it be necessary,” he added, softening his tone in an attempt to appease her and avoid the risk of damaging their relationship. He had worked far too hard grooming Faro for leadership, and knew how rare a competent and intelligent officer was in the Empire.

Faro’s shoulders relaxed somewhat. “Of course, sir. I look forward to your return.” She saluted Thrawn and nodded curtly to Eli. 

Eli waited for her to exit the hangar bay before saying, “Came off a little harsh there, sir.”

“Perhaps.” Thrawn gestured to the ship. “Shall we?”

Eli laughed. “Guess so, sir. I suppose I shouldn’t be surprised at your choice of ships anymore.” He threw a sideways glance at Thrawn as they stepped onto the ramp. “How many times have we run around in one of these old smuggling ships now?”

“I fail to see the amusement, Commander. I use whatever resources best suit the situation.”

“And what situation is that exactly? You still haven’t told me what we’re doing, either. Hells, you haven’t even told me where we’re going,” Eli said as he followed Thrawn to the cockpit.

Thrawn sat in the pilot’s seat and began take off procedures. “I will explain on the way, Commander.”

“Sure,” Eli said, pecking Thrawn on the cheek as he dropped into the co-pilot’s seat.

“Don’t worry,” he added quickly after a look from Thrawn. “The ramp’s shut and no one’s payin’ attention.” Eli grinned at him and he couldn’t help smiling back. It was risky to show that level of affection while still in the bay, but Eli was always careful of their surroundings.

Once the hyperspace coordinates were set and they made the jump, Thrawn leaned over and lightly caressed Eli’s cheek. Eli leaned into the touch, eyes almost closing. “So, we gonna discuss the secret mission now or what?”

“Later,” Thrawn purred as he stood and pulled Eli up with him. “There’s something else I would like to discuss first.” He leaned down to kiss Eli. The kiss quickly became rough, almost urgent, the man’s lips parting without hesitation. It had been too long with their busy schedules and the increasing dissatisfaction to deal with, but they had plenty of time now to make up for it. Thrawn planned to use every second of it.  
  
  
  
As they lay in each other’s arms later trying to catch their breath, a warning alarm went off at the same time that they were thrown violently out of hyperspace and onto the floor in a tangled heap. They both scrambled up and ran to the cockpit, bare feet slapping on the deck.

Eli got their first. “Dammit! The hyperdrive’s gone offline.” He flipped a few switches, eyes darting over readouts. “Long range comms are down… Short range comms too…” His face turned ashen.

Thrawn leaned over him and saw the problem. It looked like they had come out of hyperspace in the middle of nowhere. Without a hyperdrive or comms…

It was not ideal.

Eli collapsed into the pilot’s seat and rested his face in his hands. He looked shaken, but Thrawn needed him to focus right now. He ran a hand through Eli’s hair, letting it rest at the nape of his neck. “Worry will do no good right now, Eli. We need to do a full assessment of the systems and supplies first, and plan accordingly.” The words were not necessarily comforting but Eli was too intelligent to waste useless platitudes on, and a purpose would give him something to focus on besides his anxiety.

Eli leaned his head against Thrawn’s hip. “Guess we should put on clothes for that.” He sighed.

“It is not necessary but perhaps practical,” Thrawn quipped. Eli laughed. And continued to laugh until tears sprang up in his eyes, though the mirth did not quite reach them.

“It certainly is practical.” He stroked Thrawn’s ass. “This would be way too distracting for serious work.” He laughed again as he stood, mind focused on what needed to be done much like Thrawn’s was now as well.  
  
  
  
They met in the common area a couple of hours later, having collected enough data to understand their current predicament. Thrawn had spent that time in the cockpit running diagnostics while he had sent Eli to engineering to inspect the hyperdrive.

Eli tossed his data pad on the table before sitting next to Thrawn. “Well, the hyperdrive’s out,” he said. Perhaps an obvious statement, but Thrawn had considered both sabotage and the possibility of some external force having pulled them out unexpectedly. Eli’s statement did not negate the possibility of sabotage, though.

“Do you know the reason?” he asked.

Eli leaned forward resting his chin in his hands. “Bad maintenance. Our people hadn’t noticed the faulty flux capacitor connector when they went over the ship. Kriffing thing shorted out the hyperdrive when it went,” he said, huffing. “You can check it out later, but I don’t think we’re gonna be able to fix it.”

Thrawn steepled his fingers. “I was under the impression that this particular ship model had a backup hyperdrive. Is it functioning?”

“It does,” Eli answered, looking angry. “Unfortunately, the only thing under the shielding is a smugglers’ nook. They must’ve stripped out the backup drive for extra space.” Thrawn could hear the irritation. Indeed, he agreed. It was not smart to give up important components for another hiding space. They surely could have found a better place.

Thrawn sighed. “That is not the only surprise for us. The ship’s comms are not working either. I could not get the computer to connect to the transceiver during diagnostics. We will need to manually check both the holotransceiver and short range comms for damage.”

Eli sat back up, a look of surprise on his face. “This can’t all be bad maintenance then. Our people are too good to miss the holotransceiver and the connector.” He chewed at his bottom lip. “Sabotage?”

“That is the most likely conclusion.”

Eli grabbed his data pad, and opened up an inventory list. “Well, I did a full inventory of the ship’s supplies before we left. We have enough food and caf to last a month at least but we could probably stretch it out to two months if we have to, and we have plenty of medical supplies for basic stuff. Did the diagnostics come up with anything else?”

“No. All other systems are running at full capacity. Regardless, without our hyperdrive, it will take months to reach the next inhabitable system.”

“How far in the middle of nowhere are we?” Eli asked.

“I had chosen a route that is little used and borders Wild Space. There are few systems on this section of the route, and many of its travelers are less than reputable.”

“What about Faro?” Eli asked.

“I had told her to expect to hear from us in three days.”

“That’s great!” Eli leaned forward, resting his hands on his knees. “Still plenty of time for her to realize we’re in trouble, get a team together, and look for us. It might take a little while to figure out we didn’t get to our destina…” Eli broke off, most likely recalling their short conversation in the hangar bay. He looked pointedly at Thrawn, pinching the bridge of his nose. “She doesn’t know where we were going. Does she know anything?” he asked, eyes boring into Thrawn’s. That look made his heart stutter. Thrass was the only other person whose look could affect him so, and he loved them both dearly.

“She does not. She only knows that we will be comms silent for three days, and that we went to an undisclosed location.”

Eli groaned. “It never occurred to you to leave emergency instructions? In case something,” he waved erratically around the room, “happened?”

“It would have only risked harming her own career, Eli.” Thrawn held up a hand as Eli started to speak. “Please have patience. I will explain everything later after we understand the full depth of our situation.” Eli gave him a hard look but abstained from questioning Thrawn about it. For now.

“Fine,” he said, clearly upset. “Can she track us down using our ship’s vector from when we left?”

“I doubt it. We did not enter hyperspace until after Faro left. Again to protect her and the rest of the crew as others on board are also capable of calculating possible trajectories. Nevertheless, Faro is intelligent. She may yet discover the path we took, but she would still need to calculate our destination and realize we did not make it there before locating us.”

Thrawn took Eli’s hand in his. He was still angry but he didn’t pull away. “We may yet be able to make adequate repairs as well, but I believe we both need rest now. We will look at the situation again in the morning with fresh eyes.” Thrawn emphasized those last words, smirking at Eli’s raised eyebrow. He led Eli to bed disregarding the man’s protests that they could still get more done. It was best to come up with a sound strategy after sleeping off some of the stress. For both of them.  
  
  
  
Thrawn woke before Eli the next morning. He pulled the sleeping man closer, feeling like a weight had settled in his chest. He had been planning to send Eli to a place of safety. He knew life in the Ascendancy would not be perfect for a human but the dangers were far more typical of a military life and he would be treated somewhat more fairly there. The Chiss could be xenophobic as well, but they would be more inclined to acknowledge Eli’s talents.

But now it looked like his future plans were in jeopardy. He leaned his cheek against Eli’s forehead, thinking, strategizing.

Finally, he felt it was time to rouse Eli. He had come up with a task to occupy the man’s mind for a while, and they really did need to know the full extent of the damage to the hyperdrive and comm systems.

Eli stretched and yawned, kissing Thrawn with a smile playing on his lips. Thrawn smiled back. He would miss these small moments when he sent Eli away. “Eli,” he whispered.

Their brief, pleasant moment ended abruptly as reality settled in. Eli’s forehead creased and his eyes darkened.

He sat up and put as much distance as he could between them on the bunk. Thrawn sat as well, intertwining their fingers. “So, what's the plan?” Eli asked.

“I believe it best to see what damage has been done, and then discuss possible repairs. Do we have the appropriate tools and spare parts to make major repairs if needed?”

Eli stared blankly at the wall as he recalled the ship's inventory, a deep line of concentration forming.

“We have plenty of tools, but not many spare parts. We may be able to cannibalize enough non-essential systems to get our hands on some more, and we’re both smart enough to get creative with repairs if we need to. What about our subspace transceiver?” Eli asked.

Thrawn pursed his lips. “I had not detected any issues yesterday. We should set a distress signal to play on a loop. Any ships passing nearby may be able to pick it up.” It was unlikely given their location but they both knew it was better than nothing. And it was always best to cover as many contingencies as possible.

“Well, it sounds like all this is gonna take a while. I need caf and food first.” Eli hopped out of bed and headed off to the galley.

Thrawn followed, leaning against a bulkhead as Eli looked through the compartments for everything. He smiled and thanked all the gods of whatever part of space they were in that they still had caf. Eli would have been fuming for days if that were missing. “I would like you to inspect the holotransceiver and short range comms when you are ready,” he said, taking a ration bar from Eli.

“Yes, sir,” Eli got out around a mouthful of food. "I'll set the distress signal too. I want to use one common to private freighters in Wild Space."

"Ah," Thrawn replied as he realized what Eli was thinking. "It would be wise not to broadcast our Imperial status in this part of space. An excellent idea, Eli."

Eli smiled as he shoved the rest of his ration bar into his mouth, grabbed his caf, and headed off.

Thrawn watched him go, narrowing his eyes. He would have to move his plans forward, and send Eli away immediately when they got out of this. It would not give him the time he wanted to teach Eli Cheunh, but he would not risk the man’s life again. He would just have to hope that Eli receives an adequate teacher in the Ascendancy.  
  
  
  
Thrawn was sitting in front of the hyperdrive when Eli came in. “Well, the holotransceiver and short range comms have been gutted,” Eli said, standing next to Thrawn and looking at the hyperdrive. “This doesn’t look much better.”

“It is not,” Thrawn said, tossing down a screwdriver. “It could be repaired in a shipyard, but you and I do not have the parts necessary to make the repairs ourselves.”

”Can we rig up something long enough to make it to the nearest system?”

”No.”

Eli plopped down onto Thrawn’s crossed legs and leaned back against his chest. “So we’re fucked.”

Thrawn wrapped his arms around Eli. “Not entirely. There is still hope that Faro may find us, or that our distress signal will be heard,” Thrawn said.

“Any chance you could psychically reach out to your people?” Eli asked, referring to one of the more ridiculous stories about the Chiss.

Thrawn chuckled. “No.” He kissed the top of Eli’s head. "But we can look up the schematics for the holotransceiver, and attempt to rebuild its internal infrastructure."

"You really think that's possible?" Eli asked, twisting around to look at him.

Thrawn considered lying. Considered... and rejected. "Not likely. However, it will occupy our time while we wait, and there is a small chance that we may succeed." Eli did not look impressed. "As you noted earlier, we are both capable and creative," he said, pulling Eli closer and resting his cheek on him.

“Great,” Eli said with no small amount of sarcasm.  
  
  
  
“Maybe it’s time you told me what we were doing here,” Eli suggested a few days later. They were sitting together in the common room amidst a mess of disassembled machines and tools. Eli was currently elbow deep in another part they deemed non-essential, pulling out anything useful for the transceiver rebuild project. Thrawn had hoped Eli would forget about the reason for their trip in the middle of everything else that was happening. He should have known better.

“I might as well. Though, like Faro, I had hoped to protect you as much as possible.” Eli rolled his eyes. “Do you remember the conversation we had before the Botajef incident?” Thrawn asked. Eli nodded, stopping his work to listen more closely. “I had planned to take us to the location I had found from crossing the Wookiee slave ship and ore freighter vectors.”

That got Eli’s attention. Thrawn knew he was just as invested in this mystery as Thrawn himself was. “So we were gonna see what that monstrosity was?” Eli asked, rubbing absentmindedly at his neck. Thrawn waited, knowing he was trying to find the right words. “So… I _want_ to know what the secret is, but I'm also afraid of how it's gonna change my view of the Empire. Slaves are bad enough, and this kind of knowledge could get us in some serious trouble. And, honestly, I don't see how we could do anything to stop them from finishing this thing this late in the game.”

Thrawn sat up straighter, leaning toward Eli and making eye contact. He needed to be sure Eli understood the intent in his words, especially given what he was about to tell him. “Eli,” he said, his voice grave. “There is another path. I had planned to tell you later when I asked you to abandon your part of the galaxy, but I believe it would be best to explain everything now.”

“Abandon,” Eli began but Thrawn cut him off with an upraised hand.

“Please. Allow me to explain first, my love.” It was a long explanation, but Eli did as Thrawn asked. He told Eli about his mission, the exile planet, all he had done and would be willing to do for his people, his thoughts on the Emperor. Finally, he got to the part about sending Eli to the Ascendancy both for his skills and his safety.

And then he waited. It was a lot to take in on Eli's part.

At first, Eli said nothing. He just sat there with a wrench hanging uselessly from his hands while he stared at the floor.

Suddenly he looked up, opened his mouth, and shut it. He tried a couple more times before finally saying in a much calmer tone than Thrawn had expected, “I always knew you were keeping something from me. I wouldn’t have guessed that, though.” He smiled wryly. “At least you're not married with kids and a whole life back home.” Thrawn frowned down at the floor. “You’re not married, right?” Eli asked, his voice sounding strained and his brow furrowed.

Thrawn looked back up just in time to catch his concerned look before smiling. “Of course not, Eli. You may have to share my life with the goals of the Ascendancy and whims of the Emperor, but my love is yours alone.”

Eli hit him on the arm, and exhaled loudly. “Asshole.” Thrawn leaned against Eli and got back to work, still laughing as Eli scowled at him.  
  
  
  
As days turned into weeks, they continued to work on the transceiver, actively trying to avoid the "what if" conversation that was always lurking in the background. Sometimes they worked in companionable silence. Other times entertaining each other with stories from their past. 

Thrawn had learned of Eli’s childhood, his past lovers and many of the legends of Lysatra. He always enjoyed the stories of Eli’s childhood the most as they were often filled with warm family moments and comical misadventures with his friends. Eli never seemed to run out of heartwarming, pleasant memories, and he felt truly honored that Eli chose to share them with him.

For his part, Thrawn had shared moments from his past as well. His memories were not always happy but they served to teach Eli something of the Chiss culture, especially how interactions between different members of society were conducted. A necessity if he was to emigrate there. His culture was not as open or as informal as Eli’s.

Around the time they began building the transceiver, he also began teaching Eli Cheunh. It became a part of their daily routine. They would wake early, exercise, eat, and Eli would learn Cheunh as they worked. In the evenings, they would relax as best they could, and head to bed just to start the whole thing over again.

Their morning routine had included checking for messages and running a sensor scan for an answer or a nearby ship as well, but that had turned into a weekly check Thrawn did on his own before Eli woke. It depressed Eli too much to see the lack of response.

Taking the morning sensor check away helped a little, but Eli was still moody and difficult some days. The strain of the continued isolation and slowly dwindling supplies had begun to take a toll on him. He became quicker to anger, and sometimes Thrawn would find him just staring blankly at the walls. Thrawn understood far too well as he had also grown tired of the monotony, and was likewise showing signs of it. Eli had mentioned earlier that their Cheunh lessons were becoming something akin to a battlefield some days. One way to make up for those days was to try to keep Eli's spirits up by going along with whatever entertainment Eli suggested. He could easily admit that charades was not an enjoyable game. However, his stressed partner laughed so hard he sometimes had trouble breathing when Thrawn attempted to act out words, so he resigned himself to the ridiculous game far more often than he would like.

”It feels like we’re trying to roll that rock uphill in the story. Every time we get close, it just rolls back down,” Eli complained one day. Thrawn looked at him quizzically. This was not a story he knew, but Eli did not seem amenable to explaining further at the moment. A point made quite clear by the macrofuser he had just thrown across the room.

Thrawn got his meaning, though. “The task does appear to be formidable. However, I do believe it has served its purpose, Eli. Any task is preferable to aimless wandering and worry.”

“I know, I know. But we’ve been at this for two months now, and we still can’t get the kriffing thing to make a spark!” He stomped off to the galley and started making something to eat. Thrawn wondered if this was a habit he picked up from one of his parents. The longer they had spent here, and the more nerves became frayed, Thrawn began to notice little things like this. Though, it was difficult to complain about this particular quirk when Eli found a way to turn their half rations into gourmet meals.

Indeed, he shared Eli's frustration, the source of which had far more to do with the unanswered distress signal than it did with the transceiver.

Thrawn stared absently at the space where Eli had been sitting. He would find whoever did this when they finally got rescued, and hope against all odds that the sabotage wasn’t done out of petty spite or xenophobia. No reason was good, but a rebel plot would be preferable to a corrupt or pompous Imperial.

Thrawn slumped back, realizing just how much the strain was getting to him today, too. He had a headache and needed to do anything besides this for a while. It had been long enough that Eli should be done with dinner now.

He put aside his tools and headed to the galley, sliding into the seat next to Eli and relishing the smell of the meal. Eli really was an amazing cook, and it had at least calmed him down.

Eli kept glancing at him as they ate. Pushing their empty plates back, he felt Thrawn’s forehead. “You feelin’ okay? Cause you look like you got run over by a speeder.”

“You look much the same, Eli. I believe it is simply stress.”

“Maybe, or maybe we both need a good distraction.” He got up and headed toward the sleeping quarters. “I think I can help with that.” He gave an impish grin as Thrawn hurried to follow.  
  
  
  
Thrawn slammed the screwdriver down, and ran his hands through his hair, curling them into fists. The transceiver still wouldn’t work. Not that he thought it would, but their distress signal had still gone unanswered. They had switched to an Imperial distress signal two weeks ago in the hopes that it would garner more attention than the Wild Space one had. At this point, Thrawn would welcome pirates with open arms, he thought bitterly. Perhaps even rebels. He sat back and swiped all the parts off the table.

“Whoa!” Eli exclaimed as he walked up. “I don’t think you’re gonna fix it like that.”

Thrawn looked him over. He looked haggard. He had not even tried to do anything today, just sat at the dejarik table and played against the computer or watched old holos on his data pad. Maybe he was right to give up.

They ran out of food fifteen days ago, and their options were almost non-existent at this point. For the first time since dropping out of hyperspace, Thrawn truly felt they had lost.

He stood and took Eli by the hand. “What’s up?” Eli asked, tilting his head slightly.

This would be the last of their time together, and Thrawn was not going to waste it on worthless repairs. He smiled, and pulled Eli along. Leading him to their sleeping quarters.

Thrawn layed Eli down, tucking a piece of hair behind his ear, and kissed his forehead before heading to the med bay. He already knew what he needed. It shouldn’t take long to locate.

“Where are you going?” Eli asked as he exited the room. He sounded… anxious?

“Do not worry. I will return shortly,” Thrawn replied.

They had both been showing many of the signs of prolonged hunger already. Thrawn knew the further effects of starvation would be _unpleasant_ , and that it would be difficult, no, _impossible_ , to watch Eli go through that.

The hypos and medicines were easily located in the small med bay, taking no more than a couple of minutes worth of searching through compartments. He picked up one of the bottles of medicine, and turned it over slowly. This would do.

Returning to their quarters, Thrawn found Eli sitting up in bed with the blanket tucked up under his chin. “Cold? I can turn the temperature up if you prefer.”

“That’s alright. I was just trying to get comfortable while I waited,” he answered, shrugging.

Thrawn smiled affectionately as he joined him in bed, pulling Eli flush against his chest just before using the hypo. Eli jumped and immediately brought his hand up to his neck. “What the hell, Thrawn?!”

“It will ease your headache.”

“How did you know I had a headache?” Eli turned to look back at him.

“A headache is a common symptom of hunger. To both of our species.”

“I guess, but a little warning would have been nice you know,” he said, laying back down and pulling Thrawn’s arms tighter around him. 

Thrawn rested his cheek against Eli’s hair and said, “Tell me a story.”

“About what?” Eli asked.

“Another legend about the Chiss, or a memory from your childhood,” Thrawn suggested, running his hand gently along Eli’s side.

“Hmm. You’ve heard almost all of my stories from back home.” Eli paused, thinking. He never seemed to run out of happy, wholesome memories, which is why Thrawn was genuinely surprised when Eli asked, “Did I ever tell you about the first time I stole a speeder?” His voice was starting to sound groggy.

“No,” Thrawn answered, barely keeping the pain and weariness from his voice.

“I had no clue what the hells I was doing,” Eli chuckled. “I was really trying to impress this boy I knew. He had a thing for the fancy new speeders that came out that year, and I knew someone in town who had one and when he went to lunch. He would just leave it out front. I waited for him to get inside one day, and started trying to hotwire the thing. It took so long, this guy was coming back out when I finally got the damn thing started. He asks me what on Lysatra I think I’m doing.” Eli had to stop for a laughing fit. Thrawn could feel his entire body shaking. “So I say I’m taking my boyfriend on a date. Let's just say he did not appreciate that. He pulled a blaster on me and next thing I know the cops are there. My parents were pretty damn mad when they showed up to bail me out.” Eli again laughed at the memory.

Something wet touched Thrawn’s arm, and he realized Eli was laughing so hard he was crying. He had seen him do this on occasion. A strange human reaction. “Thankfully, they just chalked it up to hormones when they calmed down, and I got a date with that boy on account of how cool he thought I was.” Eli shook his head.

Thrawn could not help laughing too despite his sadness. "And you said this was your first time stealing a speeder? You had reason to do it again?” He could feel Eli slipping away, and, selfishly, wanted to hear his voice as long as possible. Wanted that to be the last thing he remembered of the man.

“Yeah,” Eli answered. “Let’s just say Lysatra could be kind of boring sometimes, and teenagers do stupid things.” Eli then launched into another story of speeder theft.

He started to slur as he talked, and occasionally would repeat something as if he didn’t remember saying it already. He had also curled in on himself a little. The medicine was not completely painless. Thrawn could feel his eyes watering, and held Eli tighter. By the time Eli stopped talking, stopped moving or breathing, his hair was wet where Thrawn’s tears had fallen.

He set up the hypo again and gave himself a shot. Stronger than Eli’s, more painful in that large a dose, but he didn’t want to wait long. As he lay there, he wondered if there was an afterlife for the two of them. Probably not. Chiss did not believe in such a thing, but perhaps Eli did. Perhaps he would argue and beg and cajole whoever was in charge there until they let Thrawn join him.


	2. Alternative Ending

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I wrote an alternative ending to the story because I kind of wondered how this would look going the other way too.

Thrawn slammed the screwdriver down, and ran his hands through his hair, curling them into fists. The transceiver still wouldn’t work. Not that he thought it would, but their distress signal had still gone unanswered. They had switched to an Imperial distress signal two weeks ago in the hopes that it would garner more attention than the Wild Space one had. At this point, Thrawn would welcome pirates with open arms, he thought bitterly. Perhaps even rebels. He sat back and swiped all the parts off the table.

“Whoa!” Eli exclaimed as he walked up. “I don’t think you’re gonna fix it like that.”

Thrawn looked him over. He looked haggard. He had not even tried to do anything today, just sat at the dejarik table and played against the computer or watched old holos on his datapad. Maybe he was right to give up.

They ran out of food fifteen days ago, and their options were almost non-existent at this point. For the first time since dropping out of hyperspace, Thrawn truly felt they had lost.

He stood and took Eli by the hand. “What’s up?” Eli asked, tilting his head slightly.

This would be the last of their time together, and Thrawn was not going to waste it on worthless repairs. He smiled, and pulled Eli along. Leading him to their sleeping quarters.

Thrawn layed Eli down, tucking a piece of hair behind his ear, and kissed his forehead before heading to the med bay. He already knew what he needed. It shouldn’t take long to locate.

“Where are you going?” Eli asked as he exited the room. He sounded… anxious?

“Do not worry. I will return shortly,” Thrawn replied.

They had both been showing many of the signs of prolonged hunger already. Thrawn knew the further effects of starvation would be _unpleasant_ , and that it would be difficult, no, _impossible_ , to watch Eli go through that.

The hypos and medicines were easily located in the small med bay, taking no more than a couple of minutes worth of searching through compartments. He picked up one of the bottles of medicine, and turned it over slowly. This would do.

Thrawn shook his head as he returned to their quarters. There was a constant buzzing in his ears. No. That wasn’t quite right. Not a buzzing. Beeping. Suddenly standing stock still and cocking his head to the side, it finally struck him.

The hypos and bottle clattered to the floor as he ran to the cockpit. There it was. The source of the beeping that had seemed like just another side effect to deal with at first. A message.

”Unidentified freighter, this is the _Hornet’s Nest_. We have received your distress signal and are heading your way. Please respond.”

Thrawn had to play the short message three times before it finally sank in. Collapsing into the chair, Thrawn took a moment to compose himself before responding. “ _Hornet’s Nest_ , thank you for responding. I am Admiral Thrawn of the Imperial Navy. Our ship has been disabled. Myself and one other crew member are aboard. We ask for transport to the nearest Imperial base. I assure you that you will be properly compensated for your assistance.”

It took five excruciating minutes for an answer to come through. “Understood, Admiral. We’ll be there in two hours.” There was a static filled pause before the message continued. “You said ‘Thrawn’. Is there any chance that other crew member is Commander Eli Vanto?”

That was a strange question. A rebel ship perhaps? Or someone else with knowledge of Imperial personnel?

”It is. May I ask how you deduced that information?” Thrawn replied.

”Our ship is part of the Vanto Shipping Company. Tell Eli we’ll be there as fast as we can.”

Thrawn settled back in the seat, all the tension leaving him in a rush. They were safe, and the ship coming to their aid could be trusted more than most private freighters.

Returning to their quarters, Thrawn found Eli sitting up in bed with the blanket tucked up under his chin. “Cold? I can turn the temperature up if you prefer.”

“That’s alright. I was just trying to get comfortable while I waited,” he answered, shrugging.

Thrawn smiled affectionately as he joined him in bed, pulling Eli flush against his chest.

”I have news to report. A private freighter has answered our distress signal. A freighter belonging to the Vanto Shipping Company. They will be here in two hours,” Thrawn said as he rested his cheek against Eli’s hair.

Eli laughed half-heartedly. “That’s great. Good people, the Vantos,” he mumbled.

”That has been my experience.” He snuggled closer to Eli and said, “Tell me a story.”

“About what?” Eli asked.

“Another legend about the Chiss, or a memory from your childhood,” Thrawn suggested, running his hand gently along Eli’s side.

“Hmm. You’ve heard almost all of my stories from back home.” Eli paused, thinking. “Did I ever tell you about the first time I stole a speeder?” His voice was starting to sound groggy.

“No.”

“I had no clue what the hells I was doing,” Eli chuckled. “I was really trying to impress this boy I knew. He had a thing for the fancy new speeders that came out that year, and I knew someone in town who had one, and when he went to lunch he would just leave it out front. I waited for him to get inside one day, and started trying to hot wire the thing. It took so long, this guy was coming back out when I finally got the damn thing started. He asks me what on Lysatra I think I’m doing.” Eli had to stop for a laughing fit. Thrawn could feel his entire body shaking. “So I say I’m taking my boyfriend on a date. Let's just say he did not appreciate that. He pulled a blaster on me and next thing I know the cops are there. My parents were pretty damn mad when they showed up to bail me out.” Eli again laughed at the memory.

Something wet touched Thrawn’s arm, and he realized Eli was laughing so hard he was crying. He had seen him do this on occasion. A strange human reaction. “Thankfully, they just chalked it up to hormones when they calmed down, and I got a date with that boy on account of how cool he thought I was.” Eli shook his head.

Thrawn could not help laughing too at the image of Eli in jail. "And you said this was your first time stealing a speeder? You had reason to do it again?”

“Yeah,” Eli answered. “Let’s just say Lysatra could be kind of boring sometimes, and teenagers do stupid things.” Eli then launched into another story of speeder theft.

By the end of Eli’s story, they were both drowsing off. The next thing Thrawn remembered was a human shaking him roughly by the shoulder. He looked up to see Eli sitting on the edge of the bed with a cup of some steaming liquid in his hands, talking with a man who looked similar to his father. An uncle or cousin perhaps. Thrawn would have to ask about it later.


End file.
